Swedish-born actress-singer Ann-Margret changed her image from sex kitten to serious contender with her Oscar nominated role in Mike Nichols’ “Carnal Knowledge” in 1971.

But I’ve got to admit I was a fan since she out hip-swiveled Elvis in “Viva Las Vegas” (1964) and sang her heart out in “Bye Bye Birdie” (1963) as Conrad Birdie’s biggest fan before he was drafted.

Accolades, awards and honors followed. To mention a few, Ann-Margret won a Golden Globe in 1976 for “Tommy,” for which she scored another Oscar nomination.

Later films – not so Oscar caliber worthy followed, including “Grumpy Old Men” (1993) and “Grumpier Old Men” (1995).

In recent years, Ann-Margret’s main appearances have been on the small screen, including a Golden Globe win for best actress in a mini-series for playing Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1984. More recently she’s received Emmy attention for “Law & Order: SVU” and “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (2010).

Now she’s back on the small screen with a recurring role on the second season of the Showtime drama series “Ray Donovan,” which stars Liev Schreiber as the title character and Jon Voight as his father.

Ann-Margret will play June Wilson, a major star back in her day, who has a past with Ray’s boss Ezra Goldman (Elliott Gould). Ann-Margret joins a list of guest stars this season who have included Hank Azaria, Wendell Pierce, Sherilyn Fenn, Vinessa Shaw and Kip Pardue. Production on the second season’s 12 episodes is currently underway in Los Angeles and is set for a summer premiere on Showtime.

Set in Hollywood, the mecca of the rich and famous, “Ray Donovan” focuses on LA’s premier professional fixer, the man called in to make the city’s celebrities, superstar athletes, and business moguls’ most complicated and combustible situations go away.

The drama unfolds when his father, Mickey Donovan, played by Jon Voight, who received a Golden Globe for his performance, is unexpectedly released from prison, setting off a chain of events that shakes the volatile Donovan family. The cast also includes Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Dash Mihok, Steven Bauer, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, Kerris Dorsey and Devon Bagby.

Paula Schwartz is a veteran journalist based in New York who is passionate about the movies. Her idea of heaven is watching three movies in a row. She’s written for various outlets, including the New York Times, Showbiz411, More and MovieMaker Magazine. For five seasons, she contributed to the New York Times seasonal movie blog, Carpetbaggers, where she covered major awards events and interviewed stars like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Gary Oldman and Helen Mirren.